As the principal architects for ArchSD's Multi Welfare Complex in Kwu Tung North and commissioned consultant for the Elder-friendly Design Guidelines, P&T Architects are at the forefront of designing for and understanding the needs of elderly in Hong Kong. I had the opportunity to interview Ms Esther Chow to discuss safety and comfort in design, creating environments to cherish life in care, and differences in working on projects with public and private clients.
With sensory degeneration coming with aging, Chow emphasised the importance of taking into account the gradual degradation of senses with increased measures for safety, way-finding, and hygiene. Aesthetic features such as colour and environmental features such as natural ventilation and material all contribute to the sense of ease in daily life through comfort and independence of locating ones self in the space. She notes the environmental factors that influence use of material not just for comfort but also maintenance, such as resin and chemically resistant polymer in handrails which are bacteria-free, preventing growth of fungus which is a major issue in Hong Kong's hot and humid climate, in contrast to the use of wood in drier environments.
The issue of privacy has been significant in all interviews thus far as well. Chow explains that the communal space, as a semi-public space, cannot be located directly next to dorm rooms as the noise from events may bother residents, the reality for many care homes is that the levels of privacy cannot be so clearly defined in layers. Many care homes located on first and second floors are retrofitted and thus not necessarily appropriate for care home use; rooms are typically located on the periphery of the floor plate with communal spaces in the middle, sandwiched between, and thus directly outside rooms.
In contrast to previous interviewees who felt the greatest challenge in providing care was finding a space to construct or place a care home, Chow felt it was more an issue of finding an appropriate space in which a design could comfortably accommodate for all the needs of elderly residents:
"It is almost impossible to provide a comfortable interior and exterior space at the same time like the foreign countries do when we are designing spaces for elderly to live together, and this is the biggest challenge we face in Hong Kong."
Despite this, Chow continues to advocate for providing safe spaces indoors and outdoors for both the mental and physical wellbeing for elderly. Outdoor interactive spaces provide a place of freedom and socialisation, thus with a lack of change in environment directly or even visibly, the elderly begin to lose their sense of time, their sense of living. Their daily rituals must be provided for in the facilities. As many elderly are institutionalised not just for better physical care but also because their adult children cannot look after them full time, the social aspect of care in a care home is just as important as the physical. Although they could perceive their residency in a care home to be a continuation of their familial duty, they should be given the opportunity to fulfill their own needs and desires.
"I think a lot of the time, the reason for the high elderly suicide rate is because they are lonely or unhappy, long term illness (poor physical health) could also be a huge factor. They would not commit suicide if they are happy. What is there to live for if the only thing you can face is loneliness?"
"The ritual is part of what makes them feel alive, feel more energetic, because of the fact that they could do so much of these things."
"Let them have a chance to do something they wanted to but never got a chance to, let them do something for themselves in the last phase of their lives, what they want, not for others. They were earning money for their family when young, and now they can live for themselves when old."
Having worked with both the government and various private clients, Chow reflected on the differences in project implementation. Regarding community and user engagement, she found working with the government had opportunity for community engagement - although not the direct end user, but rather discussions with specialists and groups who encompass the end user type. She quotes:
"Even if the Social Welfare Department gets involved, people from that department are not specialised in these community services; it is a department for the assessment and application of funding, and they are not the ones on the front line with the users. Therefore we need to do this task with them: a community engagement workshop."
In contrast, private projects did not have community engagement. Instead, they most likely would just ask for the architects opinion, and would calculate all income, expenses, number of occupants etc., only approving decisions where the project could generate profit. In terms of design, Chow also felt there was greater creative freedom in working with the government:
Interviewer: So would you say the Government is more open to trying more innovative or new ideas when it comes to design compared to private clients? Speaker: This is certainly the case, because they are much more flexible and the government is not coming from the commercial perspective. The government is supposed to do things that benefit the society.
It appears private clients focus heavily on the commercial side of the project, from an economic standpoint. On the other hand, one begs the question as to how truly "social" the Social Welfare Department is, as persons in their department are not specialised in their own department.